Pesto Chicken with Farro and Blistered Tomatoes
A bright and flavorful meal that’s nourishing, satiating, and simple.
Ingredients
Scale
Farro:
1 1/2 cups farro - I used Bob's Red Mill
3 quarts filtered water (12 cups)
1 1/2 tsp salt
Chicken:
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast (about 2 large chicken breasts), sliced in half horizontally into cutlets then pounded to even thickness
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp granulated onion
Fresh cracked black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil for marinade
Blistered tomatoes:
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp avocado oil
Coarse salt
For serving:
Crumbled feta
Instructions
- Chicken: Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally to make thinner pieces, then cover in plastic wrap and pound the chicken to even thickness – this is especially great to use a textured meat tenderizer! Season both sides of the chicken with the salt, dried oregano, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and black pepper. Place into a plastic bag and add 3 Tbsp of avocado oil. Close the bag and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours to marinate).
- Start preheating the oven to 450°F.
- Farro: Thoroughly rinse the farro. Fill a large pot with 3 quarts of water and add 1 1/2 tsp of salt. Set to high heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, add 1 1/2 cups of rinsed farro. Bring it back to a boil, then reduce heat down to medium-high and boil uncovered until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain the excess water.
- Tomatoes: Put the tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and toss in avocado oil and a good amount of coarse salt. Bake at 450ºF for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400ºF to prepare for cooking the chicken. Move the tomatoes to the top rack of the oven so that the chicken can cook on the middle rack.
- Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet spaced apart and drizzle any of the extra oil in the bag on top.
- Once the heat has reduced to 400ºF, add the chicken breasts to the oven on the middle rack.
- Cook for 12-15 minutes until the chicken is 165ºF in the center. The tomatoes should be blistered by this point too, but you can leave in for a few extra minutes if needed while you take the chicken out and let it rest before slicing.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing for it to retain the juiciness.
- To serve: Place a bed of farro on a plate or in a shallow bowl, add chicken, blistered tomatoes, pesto sauce, and crumbled feta.
- Please leave a comment and rating! It helps my website so much!
